Spend a morning rooting around the woods with an enthusiastic French outdoorsman as your guide, seeking out the forest’s buried treasure as you hunt for chanterelles, cèpes (porcini), and black trumpets in the wild undergrowth of the Luberon or the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
In the fall, France’s southern forests brim with delicious mushrooms, and they’re yours for the taking on this guided trek through the damp and shaded woods of the countryside. Set out with an expert from Cadenet and head for the hills, where your morning begins with a hearty country-style breakfast of bread, sausage, pâté, tapenade, and—of course—mushrooms, all washed down with a glass or 2 of local red wine.
Learn how to distinguish edible mushrooms from their poisonous counterparts as you search the mossy forest floor for up to 10 different types of flavorful fungi, from cèpes and chanterelles to black trumpets, hedgehog mushrooms, and blue stalk mushrooms.
Pick up tips on harvesting the mushrooms with a knife, and carry what you collect as you absorb the quiet and peaceful atmosphere of the woods. Once your baskets are full, raise a last glass of wine to toast to your tasty finds before heading back to civilization.